
	Platform Playstation Portable Genre Action /Shooter Publisher SCEA Developer Slant Six Games ESRB T (Teen) Released February 16, 2010

- Great attention to detail - Fluid gameplay - Excellent controls, all things considered

- I’m starting to get that déjà vu feeling - The squad AI is almost too good - The online voucher code business can be a turn off

Review: SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo (PSP) Review: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PSP) Review: Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
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SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3

Score: 6.5 /10

I have to admit this felt like putting in the 62nd version of SOCOM into my PSP. Maybe I just have had an overdose from the humble beginnings of the franchise on the PS2 but it seems like these games are outpacing Madden or Pokemon on the release schedule and that didn’t start me out in the right mode.

Once I got past the obligatory training levels (which I actually found quite boring) the game got a little more interesting. As Alexander Gozorov awaits your capture

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- Shooter Game Reviews
- Games Published by Sony

you’ll have to use your instincts and your firepower to track him down. Instead of barking orders to your teammates through a headset which you can do in the past PS2 versions, you’ll find yourself using the face buttons. It works quite well and you’ll be getting the members of your team into stealth mode or a full on attack with surprising ease.

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Here is where my first problem comes into play. The AI team members are so good (and die so infrequently) that by the time you arrive on scene to a “situation” they’ve already taken care of the enemy for you. You often don’t have to fire unless you really want to.

The cut scenes and the presentation are all at the quality level you’d expect. In general, the polish is here I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been here before. Like in a Ratchet and Clank game – only not as good.

Heading online might perk you up a little bit – at least there’s some unpredictability going on that will dress up the Bomberman like repetition but be prepared to be welcomed by Sony’s new anti-piracy tactic on the PSP. In response to the incredible amount of piracy this machine faces, Sony has decided to include a voucher that entitles you to online play. If you’ve bought this game used, you’ll have to pay $20 to get another voucher code but first time UMD owners (or PSPgo downloaders) will have no trouble. Pirates need not apply this time around.

You might actually find the adhoc multiplayer mode just as fun if you’ve got enough people around you with PSP’s. It certainly works well just don’t forget to turn respawning on or you’ll end up sitting out until the end of the round after you die. The four player online co-op mode is new and you might find this interesting (well at least it’s different).

If I hadn’t played and have seen so many of this type of game recently I probably would have given this a higher score. It’s a quality game, I just felt like I’ve been here before. If you’re new to the SOCOM experience, by all means give it a whirl. You’ll love it. If you’re a returning fan, be warned that you might not get as much out of it as you had hoped.

- Syd Bolton

(April 10, 2010)

Syd Bolton surrounds himself in classic gaming goodness at the Personal Computer Museumin Brantford, Ontario. He only made fun of Pokemon games because he’s gotta catch them all.